Tree Trimmer with Links to Tribal Leader Runs Multimillion-Dollar Businesses

Krishna Lawrence was 22 and making a living trimming trees in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew when he met Seminole Tribal Council member David Cypress in South Florida.

In the 15 years since, Lawrence, who is not a member of the tribe, has started more than a dozen companies, many catering to the Seminoles. He has done construction and remodeling for the tribe and installed security cameras, home theater systems, lighting and generators.

Lawrence's landscaping business, Five Points Corp., received $18.7 million from the tribe from January 2006 through this May. Three other Lawrence companies received $2 million between October 2006 and May, according to tribal records obtained by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

In April, the tribe traded property with a Lawrence company, giving him more than 500 acres next to its Big Cypress Reservation, valued at $1.7 million. In September, Lawrence sold off a little more than half of the property for just under $3 million, land records show.

He made a $1.3 million profit in five months and still owns about 200 acres.

Council member Max Osceola Jr. told the Sun-Sentinel he still thinks the trade was good for the tribe.

"If you buy a house, you want to flip it, is there anything wrong with that?" Osceola said. "That's called an entrepreneur."

Lawrence's landscaping business grew from eight to about 100 employees in the past three years, working on the Big Cypress Reservation where David Cypress has been the elected representative for almost two decades.

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